News

July 6, 2018

News Briefs – July 6, 2018

U.S. Army to invest $62 million in Puerto Rico in upcoming years

The U.S. Army says it will invest some $62 million in Puerto Rico to renovate and expand its infrastructure in the U.S. territory.
Officials said late July 2 they will invest $10 million to build an operations center in the northwest coastal town of Aguadilla starting early next year.
Brig. Gen. Dustin Shultz said that another $52 million will go toward building a training facility and new offices in Fort Buchanan near the capital of San Juan. Construction is expected to start in late 2019.
Officials said the U.S. Army invests around $285 million a year in Puerto Rico and has roughly 5,000 soldiers and 200 civil employees assigned. AP

Three closed Manhattan Project sites to open for science fest

Three historic sites in New Mexico connected to the development of the world’s first atomic bomb will open for a science festival.
The Los Alamos Monitor reports the Manhattan Project National Historical Park’s sites located “behind the fence” in Los Alamos will be made available to a small crowd next month during ScienceFest 2018.
The sites — Pond Cabin, Battleship Bunker and the Slotin Building — are on property managed by the Department of Energy and are currently off-limits to the public.
Los Alamos ScienceFest celebrates the history and science of Los Alamos.
Scientists working in the then-secret city of Los Alamos developed the atomic bomb as part of the World War II-era Manhattan Project. The bombs were later dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. AP

NATO allies defend military spending amid Trump criticism

NATO’s European allies are pushing back against U.S. criticism that they are not spending enough on defense, as President Donald Trump ratchets up pressure ahead of a summit next week.
After Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, NATO allies agreed in 2014 to end defense budget cuts, to begin spending more as their economies grew and to move toward a goal of 2 percent of GDP within a decade.
In an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Norwegian Defense Minister Frank Bakke-Jensen said that “Norway stands by its decision of the NATO Summit in 2014 and is following up on this.”
Ahead of the July 11-12 summit, Trump sent letters to Norway and several other allies demanding that they recommit to military spending. AP

Authorities say man who burned self to protest VA has died

State investigators in Georgia say a man who identified himself as an Air Force veteran has died after he lit himself on fire in front of the Georgia Capitol last week to protest the Veterans Affairs system.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation tweeted July 3 that 58-year-old John Michael Watts died Monday. Authorities say Watts strapped fireworks to his chest, doused himself with a flammable liquid and set himself on fire June 26. A state trooper who saw what was happening quickly put out the flames.
Authorities said Watts, who had no current address, was able to talk to officers after the flames were extinguished. Authorities said he had burns over 85 to 90 percent of his body. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.
The GBI says its investigation continues. AP

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